


Broken Bones + Broken Trust + Grey Box

by EWM



Series: Whumptober2020  (MyfirstWhumptober!!) [12]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angry Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Angst, Emotional Whump, F/M, Gen, Patricia Thornton is Not A Traitor, Poor Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, or then again maybe she is?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:55:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26980261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EWM/pseuds/EWM
Summary: Mac goes to visit Thornton in prison to try and get some answers. Written for Whumptober Day 12No 12. I THINK I’VE BROKEN SOMETHINGBroken Bones | Broken TrustThoughts and feedback really appreciated!
Relationships: Angus MacGyver & Patricia Thornton, Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Series: Whumptober2020  (MyfirstWhumptober!!) [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995484
Comments: 8
Kudos: 18





	Broken Bones + Broken Trust + Grey Box

Mac walked up the long winding pathway to the prison. He wasn’t even really sure why he was there, this dead place with nothing around it for miles. There were two sets of metal fencing one at the gate where he first entered and another set around the main building. He came up to the doors, flanked by two guards. He flashed his Phoenix ID at them and was speedily let through. He then came to the main desk where he had to sign his name over and his swiss army knife, never something he exactly felt comfortable doing, but he did as requested, it was a prison after all, a high security, top secret prison in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t as if his knife was going anywhere. Next came the search, standard for all visitors. Again something Mac didn’t exactly enjoy, too many associations with his own time in prison. But he complied, quiet and thoughtful. He was ushered into a small room with a big metal table in the middle of it. There was a chain on either set back from the table. Mac stared at his hands and waited.

**

When Director Thornton had told Angus MacGyver that she wanted to see him in the main gymnasium of the Phoenix Foundation, he hadn’t really know what to expect. He was terrified and excited in about equal measure. Thornton was an enigmatic figure, aloof and virtually mono-syllabic so if she had singled him out it was either very good or very bad or that was how Jack had described it him.

_“Don’t worry about Patti, she’s peach really under all that ice-cold stare. You’ll be fine”_

_“Really?”_

_“Nope, but I can’t work out exactly what you could have done so early on to piss her off.”_

_“Thanks Jack, that’s really reassuring.”_

_“Good luck”_ Jack had said as he retreated grinning at Mac.

He kept grinning as he walked away, he had kept grinning all the way to his car, he in fact did know what was coming to Mac and part of him desperately want to watch Mac’s reaction to Patti’s little ritual that she did with almost all new raw recruits. But he knew Thornton’s fury was not quite worth the temporary glee he would have had at Mac’s astonished reaction. He sighed as he got in his car, a story for tomorrow for sure. Meanwhile Mac had dutifully appeared in the gym in a t-shirt and sweatpants at the end of the day trying hard not to twitch, but also deeply curious. The lights were low in the gym, most people had left for the day.

 _“Director Thornton??”_ Mac called tentatively

 _“Angus MacGyver, you’re here good.”_ Thornton said coming up behind him. Mac jumped.

 _“Hi, you can call me Mac, it’s fine everybody does.”_ Mac said spinning around to face Thornton half covered in darkness

_“Mr MacGyver, do you know why I invited you here?”_

Mac shook his head.

_“I’ve invited you here to test your field skills. No wait…let me finish. Dalton has repeatedly told me about your ability to improvise and I’ve seen it at least in part. Why am I here? I want to see if you know how to fight. Yes I’m aware, you’re ex-army like Dalton. However this is something I do with all new recruits and you’re no exception.”_

At that point Thornton stepped forward, she had two sets of boxing gloves, she tossed one too him.

_“So are you up for the challenge?”_

Mac grinned and donned the gloves. Thornton was lighter and faster than Mac, surprisingly fit for someone who apparently spent all her time in the office. She threw a punch, he blocked, he responded, she dodged. The traded blows back and forth, neither really gaining any headway. Mac was holding back at a bit, fun as it was, he didn’t really like the idea of hitting his boss in the face.

_“Mr MacGyver, I think you’re holding back. I would like to see you at full strength, throw your best punch and see what happens.”_

When Mac paused again, she added

_“Unless you’re too young to do it, too much of a child still. Despite all your time in the army, or do you need Dalton here all the time to fight your battles.”_

Mac fumed internally, he loved Jack and knew that he watched out for him. But he did not need him to fight his battles . He went in hard for a punch taking Thornton at her word. She dodged and grabbed his arm throwing him onto the floor, she put her knee on his chest. Mac coughed

_“Good, at least you’ve got some fight in you, even if it only does come out when challenged. Although remember don’t rise to the bait , enemies will always try and make you react. If I was a merc, you would have just lost your life.”_

She got up and pulled off one of gloves and offered him her hand. He took it gladly.

**

The door of the prison opening pulled Mac out of his thoughts and back to the present. The guard brought Thornton in, chained and handcuffed. It was bizarre, her long black hair had a dull look and she wore no makeup and yet, she was still impressive in spite of everything, having the same aloofness even though she was now a convicted traitor.

_“Hello Mac.”_

_“Thornton.”_

_“I’d say it was good to see you, but then again you know I was never one to engage in unnecessary pleasantries.”_

_“It’s funny you say that because I guess in reality, I don’t really know you at all.”_

_“Why are you here Mac?”_

_“I think you know.”_

_“I really don’t. Explain it to me.”_

_“Why?”_

_“I require a little bit more detail than that.”_

At this Mac groaned, his fists clenching.

_“Careful Mac, you’re reacting to my baiting.”_

_“Why did you betray us? What reason was there? How long were you a member of the organisation? Why? Was it all a lie? Was it all a pretence from the very beginning?”_

Mac’s words poured out of him, the frustration he had been feeling in the weeks since Thornton had been arrested had finally found an outlet. Thornton sighed and smiled at him, she looked down at his hands

_“Do you remember what I told you when you broke your hand?”_

Mac remained silent

_“Well do you?”_

_“Don’t always try and look for an enemy’s motivation, in some cases, you will never understand it.”_

_“Well remembered Mac. I suggest you apply that logic here; it will save you a lot of pain and distress. Guard I’m done.”_

_“Wait Thornton! You can’t leave me with that. That’s no answer.”_

_“Unfortunately, that’s the only one I can give you. Do your best to stay alive Mac, we won’t see each other again.”_

After that the guard pulled Thornton up and out of the room, Mac was left fuming in the chair opposite her. A few minutes later he left the tiny room. He departed the prison as swiftly as he could, stomping down the gravel path, he reached the second metal fence and his car. As he was about to open the door, he looked at his hand, a flash of memory coming back into his brain.

**

After their first sparring session, Thornton decided to make it a regular thing, insisting that she could make Mac’s fighting skills improve and perhaps more importantly help him get his emotions under control. As the weeks past, his skills did improve, he was faster, more aware and learned to tune out Thornton’s taunts, she spoke a little about the foundation and the work they did. He asked the odd question. It was a surprisingly comfortable partnership. However one day he came in distracted and monosyllabic, he barely answered Thornton’s probing questions and attacked her with more fury than she’d ever seen before. It was a real shift, but there was no accuracy behind his punches so in some ways it was a step backwards. As she easily dodged and blocked yet another hard right hook, she decided to see if she could get him to open up a little

_“Something on your mind Mr MacGyver?”_

_“Everything’s fine Director Thornton! Can we just keep going?”_

_“Of course, but I suggest you improve your aim, or I’ll end up pinning you as I did all those weeks before.”_

Mac simply grunted at this. Thornton scanned the missions list in her mind, the Arcardy case, it had been grim, even for them; child soldiers and kidnap, murder and extortion. It might have been one of the first like it for Mac. She could understand his frustration and rage, the reports had made for horrible reading.

_“If you want to discuss the Arcardy mission, I’m more than happy too.”_

_“No, thank you.”_ Mac said responding with a punch in between each word

_“It was a disturbing case. Anyone would have been thrown by it.”_

Thornton waited, Mac grunted again. Eventually he huffed and puffed

_“Fine, it’s not the horror exactly, although I mean it was awful. But...it was the logic.”_

_“Excuse me?”_

_“The reasoning, I mean why do it? It makes no sense, the whole operation. The money, the power, it wasn’t enough, not worth the trouble. It made no sense like at all, I’m trying to look at it from every angle. I just can’t understand it.”_

_“Ahhh”_

_“What the hell is ahhhh suppose to mean??”_ Mac snapped, charging at Thornton. She dodged the punch he threw at her at the same time, he felt his hand make contact with one of the metal bars of the exercise equipment around them. She grabbed him by the waist and just as she promised, pinned him to the floor, knee once again on his chest

 _“Ahhhhh!”_ Mac roared in frustration and pain

_“What I mean…is sometimes it’s not possible to understand every enemy. Sometimes the logic is obvious, sometimes it’s not. If we’ve got enough to put them away and stop them, let that be enough. Don’t always try and look for an enemy’s motivation, in some cases, you will never understand it. It’ll drive you to madness Mr MacGyver and it’ll stop you from being a good agent”_

At this point, Thornton offered him her hand again. He sat up but didn’t take it, rather he looked at his rapidly swelling right hand. She sat on her haunches next to him

_“I think I’ve broken something.”_

_“Two metacarpals and possibly your trapezium, by the looks of things”_

Mac raised his eyebrow at her. Thornton smiled back at him

_“Don’t look so surprised Mac, I used to be a doctor in a previous life. Come on, let’s get you to medical.”_

Thornton heaved him up with her shoulder and guided him towards the doors. Despite the pain Mac found himself smiling, that was the first time Thornton had ever called him Mac.

**

Mac shook his head, to push the memory away. That Thornton, whoever she was, if she had even been real was long gone now and there was no point remembering her. She was the enemy, a traitor and that was it. Mac opened his car door stretching out his fingers slightly, he got in the driver seat. He took one last look at the prison where Thornton would probably spend the rest of her life and drove away.

**Author's Note:**

> Should I continue this on? Would it be interesting to see more of Mac/Thornton's early relationship. This was kind of based on the idea that Thornton taught Mac how to be a spy, so maybe she taught him to fight too, at least partly? ?? Maybe? Did the whole Mac not having control of his emotions thing work at all?


End file.
